The Salvation Army bell ringers have almost become a holiday season staple along with the eggnog, pine trees and candy canes.

In Greeley, bell ringers have been out for a couple of weeks, taking to curbsides, greeting and waving at people as they go about their day.

Some bell ringers accompany red donation kettles as volunteers, and others work it as a seasonal job.

"We can't get enough volunteers to manage all the places," said Greeley Salvation Army Lt. Marcos Roman. Only about 30 percent of bell ringers in the area this year are volunteers, he said, including multiple groups and organizations.

Without enough volunteers to man all the kettles, the Salvation Army turned to an employment agency to help out. "(The) nice thing is that we get to provide someone with a seasonal job," Roman said.

For Rose Stoltz, bell ringing is a job, and one she said she enjoys. She recently stood outside of Safeway at the Centerplace Shopping Center, smiling and waving to shoppers going to and from the store.

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She said she likes manning the kettle; she feels like she gets to help the Salvation Army and everyone they help, too, she said.

"It's a good job," Stoltz said. She describes her work as simple, ringing her bell and waving at people who wave and smile in return. People like the bell ringers. "You get blessed a lot," she said. "It's the time of year you can see people actually care about one another, and it's nice."

Bell ringing means more than holiday work. Stoltz said she gets to see happy people.

"You see," she said gesturing toward customers going in and out of Safeway, "the kids are smiling."

Growing up in California, Roman rang bells for the Salvation Army each year. "It is fun," he said. "It's all in what you make it. You're out there having fun, greeting people."

People-watching keeps it interesting, but he said he thinks helping people out and making a difference is the biggest satisfaction.

"I've been doing this for 30 years," Roman said. "I can remember people coming up to us and saying 'because of you guys, somebody knocked on our door and dropped off Christmas presents for us.' "

All donations collected by bell ringers and kettles in Weld County stay in the county, Roman said. Donations collected by the holiday greeters go to the Salvation Army's budget and enable them to continue their work around Weld.

"(Bell Ringers) are pretty much the face of the Salvation Army at this time of the season," Roman said. Not only do bell ringers help fundraise, their visual presence reminds the community that the Salvation Army is there to help. Helping people, he said, "that's the end goal of the Salvation Army."